Apparently converting a diesel engine to run on gasoline = fuel efficiency

[Philly]

The most fuel efficient hybrid for sale in the US gets 51 MPG, but a startup called Transonic Combustion claims they can improve that. They claim their fuel-injection system will get 64 MPG.

Transonic's fuel-injection system is supposedly better because it "uses supercritical fluids and requires no spark to ignite the fuel. The supercritical fluid is mixed with air before injected into the cylinder. The heat and pressure, in the cylinder, alone is enough to cause the fuel to combust without a spark." That spark-free ignition process along with some proprietary software makes this particular fuel-injection system different from direct injection systems and supposedly helps make it so ultra-efficient.

Transonic says that they hope to place the technology in production cars by 2014, but I really just want to see the data from their initial test, because this is an almost bold claim for mainstream electric hybrids. [PhysOrg]

Linky link

I think it would be cool to see somebody try and put this into a production car at some point. I doubt we'd be able to see 50% better fuel economy off the bat but maybe there might be some improvements. I'm wondering how it works though. Is there some sort of special fuel they use? Is it something with the way the fuel is injected? Do they just crank up the compression? Will it sound like a diesel?

 

[Jim Prower]

and what are they talking about "Supercritical Fluids? This is very vague...

 

[ExigeEvan]

The fact they don't even mention a diesel engine, makes me think it's a diesel engine. Hoping to dupe anyone that is completely unaware.

 

[homeforsummer]

Sounds like the Lotus Omnivore engine (interactive graphic here) with less two-stroke.

I think it's definitely a route worth pursuing. Diesel engines are very efficient, much more so than petrols, but still dirty despite manufacturers best efforts. Petrol engines are relatively clean, but need to be worked much harder to produce power and worked very lean to increase economy, which results in more monoxides of carbon... which is baaad, mmkay?

A diesel that swallows petrol (or indeed a two-stroke engine that swallows pretty much anything) is a nice work-around that would hopefully combine the best characteristics of both without too many compromises.

From the brief info it sounds very much like your typical diesel (ignition using pressure rather than a spark) but if it runs (reliably) on (volatile) petrol, then hey, we have possibilities.